diff --git a/common/src/main/scala/net/psforever/packet/control/MultiPacketEx.scala b/common/src/main/scala/net/psforever/packet/control/MultiPacketEx.scala
index 41b5b149..ff80169f 100644
--- a/common/src/main/scala/net/psforever/packet/control/MultiPacketEx.scala
+++ b/common/src/main/scala/net/psforever/packet/control/MultiPacketEx.scala
@@ -2,9 +2,10 @@
 package net.psforever.packet.control
 
 import net.psforever.packet.{ControlPacketOpcode, Marshallable, PlanetSideControlPacket}
-import scodec.{Attempt, Codec, DecodeResult, SizeBound}
+import scodec.{Attempt, Codec, DecodeResult, Err, SizeBound}
 import scodec.bits._
 import scodec.codecs._
+import shapeless.HNil
 
 final case class MultiPacketEx(packets : Vector[ByteVector])
   extends PlanetSideControlPacket {
@@ -14,53 +15,57 @@ final case class MultiPacketEx(packets : Vector[ByteVector])
 }
 
 object MultiPacketEx extends Marshallable[MultiPacketEx] {
-  val ffFound: Codec[Boolean] = new Codec[Boolean] {
-    def sizeBound = SizeBound.exact(0)
-    def encode(b: Boolean) =
-      if(b)
-        Attempt.successful(hex"ff".bits)
-      else
-        Attempt.successful(bin"")
-    def decode(b: BitVector) = {
-      if (b.length >= 8 && b.take(8) == hex"ff".bits)
-        Attempt.successful(DecodeResult(true, b.drop(8)))
-      else
-        Attempt.successful(DecodeResult(false, b))
+  val sizeCodec : Codec[Long] = new Codec[Long] {
+    private def description = s"variable-bit unsigned integer"
+    override def sizeBound = SizeBound.bounded(8, 32)
+
+    val MaxValue = (1L << 31) - 1
+    val MinValue = 0
+
+    override def encode(i: Long) = {
+      if (i > MaxValue) {
+        Attempt.failure(Err(s"$i is greater than maximum value $MaxValue for $description"))
+      } else if (i < MinValue) {
+        Attempt.failure(Err(s"$i is less than minimum value $MinValue for $description"))
+      } else {
+        if(i < 0xff) {
+          uint8L.encode(i.toInt)
+        } else if(i < 0xffff) {
+          (constant(hex"ff") :: uint16L).dropUnits.encode(i.toInt :: HNil)
+        } else {
+          (constant(hex"ffffff") :: uint32L).dropUnits.encode(i :: HNil)
+        }
+      }
     }
 
-    override def toString = "bitsRemaining"
-  }
+    override def decode(buffer: BitVector) : Attempt[DecodeResult[Long]] = {
+      val sizeTypes = List(8, 16, 32)
+      val guards = List(hex"ff".bits, hex"ffff".bits)
 
-  val twoffFound: Codec[Boolean] = new Codec[Boolean] {
-    def sizeBound = SizeBound.exact(0)
-    def encode(b: Boolean) =
-      if(b)
-        Attempt.successful(hex"ffff".bits)
-      else
-        Attempt.successful(bin"")
-    def decode(b: BitVector) = {
-      if (b.length >= 16 && b.take(16) == hex"ffff".bits)
-        Attempt.successful(DecodeResult(true, b.drop(16)))
-      else
-        Attempt.successful(DecodeResult(false, b))
+      var buf = buffer
+
+      for(i <- sizeTypes.indices) {
+        val s = sizeTypes{i}
+
+        if(!buf.sizeGreaterThanOrEqual(s))
+          return Attempt.failure(Err.insufficientBits(s, buf.size))
+
+        val value = buf.take(s)
+        buf = buf.drop(s)
+
+        if(i == guards.length || value != guards{i})
+          return Attempt.successful(
+            DecodeResult(value.toLong(signed = false, ByteOrdering.LittleEndian),
+              buf)
+          )
+      }
+
+      // will never reach here
+      Attempt.failure(Err("unknown error"))
     }
 
-    override def toString = "bitsRemaining"
+    override def toString = description
   }
 
-  val sizeCodec = either(ffFound, uint8L,
-    either(twoffFound, uint16L, uint32L).xmap[Long](
-      (a : Either[Int, Long]) => a.fold[Long](a => a, a => a),
-      (a : Long) =>
-        if(a < 0xffff) Left(a.toInt) else Right(a)
-    )
-  ).xmap[Long](
-    (a : Either[Int, Long]) => a.fold[Long](a => a, a => a),
-    (a : Long) =>
-      if(a < 0xff) Left(a.toInt) else Right(a)
-    )
-
-  implicit val codec : Codec[MultiPacketEx] = (
-    ("packets" | vector(variableSizeBytesLong(sizeCodec, bytes)))
-    ).as[MultiPacketEx]
+  implicit val codec : Codec[MultiPacketEx] = ("packets" | vector(variableSizeBytesLong(sizeCodec, bytes))).as[MultiPacketEx]
 }
\ No newline at end of file